The sages gathered around Ugrashrava Sauti were listening intently to his narration of the story of Uttanka. When he finished that story, they were full of eager questions and requests. “Did Uttanka succeed in convincing King Janamejaya to conduct the snake sacrifice?” one of them asked. “Yes indeed he did and many thousands of snakes … Continue reading The Curse of Kadru – The Mahabharata Series 2
Author: Veena Narayan
The Mahabharata Series – 1- Snake Sacrifice – The Story of Uttanka
Sage Vyasa and King Janamejaya Paithan Style British Museum The Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world. But how many of us have managed to read the original? We may have read Rajaji’s abridged version or R.K. Narayan’s The Indian Epics Retold but they only tell us a major part of the main story, … Continue reading The Mahabharata Series – 1- Snake Sacrifice – The Story of Uttanka
Some Musings on the Tamil Film Super Deluxe
It has been more than a year since the release of the Thiagarajan Kumararaja Tamil film Super Deluxe. But I suppose one can indulge in some thoughts about it after having watched it recently on an OTT platform. Movie Poster on Wikipedia Spoilers Ahead For those who are reading this and haven’t yet watched the … Continue reading Some Musings on the Tamil Film Super Deluxe
Hunters
We were all sitting around after dinner, the remnants of the meal lying spread-eagled on the table. Some of us had moved over to the plush sofa on the balcony because she had. Our section was screened from the other diners by a half wall that cordoned off the table and the balcony giving us … Continue reading Hunters
Policing Memory – Book Review
Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police is a dystopian novel set on an unnamed island where the Memory Police disappear things from time to time. The protagonist is a novelist (also unnamed) who lives alone in a house by the river. Both her parents are dead and from as long as she can remember things have … Continue reading Policing Memory – Book Review
They Too
Though it was a Sunday all seventy nine of them were at the large auditorium on the dot as if it were a normal working day. They had got up early cooked the promised specials for their families and hung on to crowded city buses resigned to the idea of a thirteen day work week. … Continue reading They Too
Phobias – Common and Rare
Do you remember being embarrassed screeching “Spider!” and letting out a scream that rivalled a diesel locomotive? What is it that causes you to do unreasonable things like jumping onto chairs in the middle of a drawing room conversation or barricading yourself in your room at the sight of a lizard or a millipede? Do … Continue reading Phobias – Common and Rare
How Is Your Kid Intelligent?
No, I didn’t get the title wrong. But before I explain consider this scenario. There was this kid in your class who was considered super intelligent. Reason? He did extremely well in math and science. Or there was this kid who did very well in languages. And she was also considered brainy. Was your … Continue reading How Is Your Kid Intelligent?
Folk Tale – Tolakavi, the Witty Poet
Nothing much is known about Tolakavi the witty poet who lived during the times of Cheraman Perumal Kulasekhara Varma; not even his real name. It is said that Tolakavi’s father passed away soon after his upanayana or sacred thread ceremony. It was the common practice in those days to make the young boy who has … Continue reading Folk Tale – Tolakavi, the Witty Poet
Vignettes From A Literary Festival
From January 30th to February 2nd of this year the well-known Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi conducted the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL). With over three hundred writers participating from different parts of the world and a host of interesting topics for discussion, it was the place to be for people interested in the world of … Continue reading Vignettes From A Literary Festival
